VESSEL REVIEW | Zulu 06 – Hydrogen-powered cargo ship demonstrator designed for inland waters
French shipping company the Sogestran Group has unveiled what it claims is the first hydrogen fuel cell-powered river vessel to be built in France.
Zulu 06, which will be operated primarily within the Seine in Paris beginning in December 2024, measures 55 metres (180 feet) long and eight metres (26 feet) wide and has a capacity of 400 tonnes of both palletised and containerised cargo. It will be owned and operated by Sogestran subsidiary Compagnie Fluviale de Transport.
Hybrid battery-hydrogen setup
The purpose-built vessel is also fitted with a power generation system supplied by ABB Marine and Ports, two 200kW hydrogen fuel cells provided by Ballard, and a 90kWh lithium-ion battery bank. The fuel cells have 300 kg of compressed hydrogen to enable seven days of operational autonomy. To ensure optimal safety, the hydrogen system has leak and fire detectors, as well as a fixed fire extinguishing system using a water curtain.
The fuel cells and the hydrogen storage are placed above deck at the stern while the wheelhouse is located near the bow. Containers and pallets will be placed on the open deck in between.
The batteries will meanwhile provide dynamic performance enhancement for the fuel cells, which inherently provide optimal performance when operated at steady power loads. For example, whenever the shipboard power system experiences a large load power transient, the batteries are configured to react rapidly by adjusting their power supply according to the transient requirements.
The batteries also offer other system benefits, notably improved efficiency via strategic charging and discharging according to the vessel’s power needs.
The DC/DC and DC/AC converters are HES880 compact drives supplied by ABB. The power conversion devices are controlled by an ABB power and energy management system (PEMS), which is designed for seamless and efficient control of both new power sources (i.e., fuel cells and batteries) and the more traditional ones (combustion-based generators). The PEMS is a redundant control system that manages the power sources, distribution, and consumption. It is closely integrated with the electrical system and is based on ABB's industrial automation platform, which is configured to meet the specific requirements of both the power sources and the vessel application.
The vessel will operate on compressed hydrogen produced from electrolysis, enabling zero-emission operations. The hydrogen will be provided by suppliers in the Paris region and will be compressed at 300 bar.
Part of a broader initiative promoting the use of hydrogen as marine fuel
Zulu 06 is being developed through the EU-funded FLAGSHIPS project, which utilises two inland waterway vessels as hydrogen propulsion and PEM fuel cell technology demonstrators. The ultimate objective of the project is to develop vessels that can achieve the IMO’s target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by 2050.
The other vessel being developed under FLAGSHIPS is Future Proof Shipping's retrofitted H2 Barge 2, which is operating along the 240-kilometre-long route between Rotterdam and the German city of Duisburg via the Rhine River.
Originally, Zulu 06 was designed and built as a diesel-electric vessel. However, under the FLAGSHIPS project, the vessel has been upgraded to fully electric powered by hydrogen fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries, though it retains the capability to operate on diesel if necessary.
Design work on Zulu 06 was undertaken by Norwegian naval architecture firm LMG Marin. Sogestran expects the vessel to be deployed on regular commercial operations following an 18-month demonstration period. Its main area of operations will be the stretch of the Seine between the ports of Bonneuil-sur-Marne and Gennevilliers in Paris.
